


Escape

by ghost_writer_96



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_writer_96/pseuds/ghost_writer_96
Summary: Kailani wants nothing more than to learn the martial art of waterbending. But because of her tribe's sexist customs, shes confined to the role of healer. That is, until the Avatar and his friends arrive. Between Fire Nation royalty, a war that's been kept secret, and a cabbage merchant that seems to show up everywhere, Kailani has to wonder if she made the right choice, or if she should have stayed put in her home.
Relationships: Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. the avatar

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't like my main OC's name but it's serving as a place holder for now. Any suggestions?

_84 AG- Year of the Dragon_  
  
As the full moon reaches its highest point in the night sky, a small cry reverberates off of the ice walls in the capitol city. The attending midwife hands a small bundle to the exhausted woman. As she and her husband look down at their second baby in a trance of joy, they are oblivious to the water freezing in the pot over the fire.

_90 AG- Year of the Dog_

_"Ha! You can't catch me!" The older of the two girls yells over her shoulder, running farther away from the city buildings. Her sister struggled to keep up using her much shorter legs. The gap between them was widening slowly. In a desperate effort, the six year old reaches out her hand to try and catch the parka of the girl in front of her. Suddenly, her sister sprawls onto the snow, her head buried in a pile of the white fluff. A small patch of ice lay directly behind where her feet left the ground._

_"Mikki!" The small girl reaches her sister in seconds and begins pulling her up by her arm, only to be pushed away indignantly._

_"That's not fair! You cheated with waterbending!" Mikki's tan face was red with anger and embarrassment._

_"I didn't- I didn't do it on pur-purpose," the little girl mumbleshurriedly. Her small hands clasped tightly in front of her waist, ashamed of what she had accidentally caused._

_"Whatever," Mikki began walking back to the walls of ice, her arms crossed angrily with her sister stumbling after her yet again._

_94 AG- Year of the Tiger_

_"Haha! You thought they'd let a girl learn waterbending? Get real!" Three boys, none of which could be over the age of fourteen, pointed at the girl in the middle of the group and laughed harshly. With each taunt and jeer, her face scrunched up even more while turning several shades redder._

_"Oh look! She's gonna cry!" The tallest of the three shouted. Before the girl let a tear fall, she snatched off her gloves and lunged in his direction, fists flying. A heap of fur rolled around in the snow. It wasn't until an adult rushed over and separated the two children that they finally stopped punching each other. The girl looked up at who had hauled her up and instantly regretted her decision to engage in a fight._

_"Kailani! I'm surprised at you! You know how unlady-like it is to fight. And to be fighting a boy! Just wait until your parents hear what you've gotten into..."_

_Hours later, sitting alone in her room with a snowball pressed against her busted lip, Kailani noticed the throbbing pain slowly stop to ebb until it was nonexistent. Gingerly, she touched where the boy had punched her earlier and felt nothing but the pressure of her fingers. The split in her lip was gone._

_96 AG- Year of the Horse_

_Kailani studied the scroll for what felt like the millionth time, focusing on the shift between each illustration. Bending was supposed to be stronger at night, especially under the full moon. So why was this taking forever? She placed the scroll on top of her pack once more and assumed the beginning stance. Lift arms and relax wrists. Shift weight to back leg. Maneuver water in a thin stream... The water fell with a disappointing flop once more. Kailani let out a frustrated shout and stomped a booted foot in the snow._

_"Kailani? Is that you?"_

_There was no mistaking the sound of her father's voice. She'd been found out. The faces of her parents, sister, and uncle appeared under the light of the moon with the aid of a torch. Council man Puriq picked up the scroll and examined it for just a few seconds before realizing his daughter had done what they had forbidden of her._

100 AG- Year of the Monkey- Present

"Thank you for your help today, Kailani. This would have taken much longer between Reka and myself."

I smiled and put my arm around the closest student, my cousin Mara.

"And thank you for letting us assist you. I think the girls learn a lot more from hands on experience rather than hearing me talk all the time. What do we say to Mrs. Kuma?" I raised a sharp eyebrow at the group of girls behind me.

"Thank you Mrs. Kuma," they chorused happily. I led them out of the infirmary after promising to come back by in about two weeks. Between warrior training and hunting, injuries seemed to pile up on the daily. Mara grabbed my hand on the walk back to our healing hut, nearly skipping with joy.

"What's got you in such a fine mood?" I asked as the other girls chattered away. Her cheeks instantly flushed a light pink.

"I think Uruk is cute," Mara barely got the words out before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Uruk was one of the boys she had practiced her healing on today. I had noticed her taking a little extra time with him, though I thought it was due to his various bruises and cuts. Apparently, he and his brothers fight a lot. I squeezed Mara's hand as we continued on. The other girls were in line with us, walking slower than before.

"I wanna marry Kuriq one day. I hope that's who my parents pick when I turn sixteen," one of them said excitedly, a look of hope flashing across her eyes. I nearly opened my mouth to say that she should be able to pick whomever she wants to marry, but bit my tongue instead. I didn't want to lose my position as Yugoda's assistant. My teaching was the only outlet of waterbending I had at the moment, and speaking out against tradition was sure to have that taken away. It made me hot as a fire poker to think of all the ways I couldn't live my life freely under the weight of customs and tradition. The men of our tribe didn't have that problem, so why should the women? I was so deep in angry thought that I didn't realize someone was speaking to me.

"What?" I said, feeling like I'd been woken up from a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Yuri, my best student so far, repeated her question.

"I said, who have your parents chosen for your engagement?"

I didn't want to think about getting married to someone I didn't know, so I had been trying my hardest not to think about the fact that my birthday was in a few weeks. It just made me more upset.

"They haven't chosen yet. It's still a little early, and if I recall correctly, there's quite a few men to choose from," I sighed. Luckily, none of the girls seemed to pick up on my less than enthusiastic tone. Each of them would probably probably have a handful of suitors as well. Most-likely people they knew. But since my father was a member of Chief Arnook's council, there were quite a few vying for my hand in marriage. I didn't know half of them.

Back at the healing hut, Yugoda was finishing up her lesson with the beginner class. I paused outside the doorway and addressed my group.

"All of you did a very good job today. I'll be sure to pass it on to Yugoda. Don't forget, we'll meet again day after tomorrow!"

There was hardly any time to get the words out before everyone disappeared. Even the younger class hurriedly streamed out and away to their homes in groups of three or four. Sometimes, I wished I was that young again, instead of nearing sixteen. I could be penguin sledding rather than preparing for an unwanted engagement. Once inside, I helped Yugoda put away the mannequin she used for instruction. She was getting too old to manage by herself, which prompted me to assist in anyway possible. As we ducked under the draping to leave, she lightly touched my arm and turned toward me.

"Any news on the engagement?" she smiled warmly. The wrinkles around her still bright eyes were deeper than when we'd first met. Skin around her jaw drooped low. Yugoda was the grandmother I had never had, but really wanted. My mom's mother was a sour sea prune of a woman. I didn't have the heart to tell her how I really felt about the whole thing.

"It's a bit early to know right now, but my mother tells me I have quite the handful of decent suitors to choose from." _If they even let me choose._ Given my previous defiant behavior, that was a slim chance. By the way, decent suitors= wealthy, politically motivated, ambitious, accomplished hunters, brave warriors, or all of the above.

"That's wonderful," Yugoda pulled me into a surprisingly firm hug. I sheepishly squeezed her back. How could I tell her that I was one hundred percent _dreading_ mybirthday? She was almost as excited as my family in regards to a future wedding.

On my way home, that was all my mind could think about. Everyone in the city shared a much more upbeat attitude, like there was something to be happy about. Meanwhile, it was like a large gray storm cloud was hovering over my head. Believe me, I'd tried to think of ways around this whole mess. I wasn't very good wife material in the first place. My sewing skills were mediocre at best. I could only cook basic staples for meals, not the food that a husband of a councilman's daughter would be accustomed to. The only things going for me, at this rate, were that I wasn't ugly and I was fertile. Which, if we're honest, are what is really important in arranged marriages. I was good with children, at the very least. But actually bearing children? I still felt like a child myself sometimes. My sister Miki had already birthed one child and was pregnant again at only nineteen. It was a relief to find that she could even have children. Imagine basing your life on whether you can continue your blood line.

Upon entering my home, I noticed two things that were completely out of the ordinary. Mom wasn't in the kitchen and there was no food set out to be prepared for dinner. My father was usually home before me, but he was also missing. I can count on my hand the amount of times that mom hasn't had dinner ready by the time me and my father arrived, two of those occasions included seal-sickness.

"Mom?" I called out hesitantly.

"Back here!" her voice drifted from the upstairs loft, where my room and the guest room were located. For a second, my blood ran cold as ice. What was she doing in my room? Was she searching it, prying into my business? Rummaging through my possessions? If she found my scrolls... I tried to control my walking as I made my way up the stairs, though it was nearly impossible. Inside, I was relieved yet surprised to see the contents of my wardrobe lain across my bed. Not just one or two dresses, but every evening kimono and parka that I had. And there were quite a few. Ones from noble birthday celebrations, official banquets, the list goes on.

"Any particular reason why all my clothes are laying around?" Mom was hidden between the pelt of my closet, still pulling out clothing. She was frantically tossing more onto the already large pile.

"Yes, in fact, there is," she huffed while depositing an armful of sashes. "The Avatar is here!"

For a second, I thought I had simply misheard. The Avatar?

"Pardon?" I raised my eyebrows and expected to hear something different than what I'd thought. News of the Avatar's reappearance had only just arrived, and now he was here?

"You know what I said, now quit standing there with your mouth gaping like a fish. There's going to be a banquet tonight to honor his arrival as well as a to celebrate Princess Yue's sixteenth birthday. So we have to find something...." she trailed off while picking up and examining a light blue outfit with deep purple trim. Holding it out on front of me, mom scrunched her eyebrows like she did when she was deciding what to cook for lunch.

"Nope, this isn't it," she continued rearranging, pulling different pieces and then replacing them until settling on one: a dark blue dress with white yak fur trim and a parka to match.

"Here, pull this on. Don't worry about messing up your hair, I've asked your sister to help with that."

Great. Ever since Miki had gotten pregnant, she'd been ten times as bossy as usual. And that was saying something. She'd always been on the mothering side, being older and all. But it was like marriage had really taken things to the next level. As if having a husband and kids made her superior to me. Maybe she'd be in a good mood, though that almost seemed too much to hope for. I shrugged off the parka I had worn for healing lessons and pulled on the much more stylish one mom handed me.

"This sash should match perfectly. Turn around so I can fasten it."

I obliged, only to have the sash yanked around my waist.

"A little tight there," I gasped, feeling like my ribs would snap any moment. 

"Oh, hush. I presume some of your suitors may be present tonight. We want to give a good impression, don't we?"

We? Did she have a snow crab in her pocket? She compromised with a tight tie that gave enough room to breathe and move, but only just. Miki must have just gotten here, judging by the sound of a crying toddler in the living area. I hurried out to greet them, mostly so I could see my niece.

"Rivka! You've gotten so big!" She was hardly three and tall for her age. Almost all her teeth showed when she grinned widely. Once again, let it be known that I love kids, as long as I can give them back to their parents.

"You've got things to do," mom took Rivka and nudged me back towards my room. I huffed in frustration, though Miki didn't give me a chance to protest. She had already grabbed my arm and pulled me back. That was how she was. Large (from the baby) and in charge. And I resented her for it.

Once seated on a stool in front of my bed, Miki sat behind and began brushing my hair. The comb caught on tangles here and there, but I'd gotten used to it by now. What is it they say? Beauty is pain? If that was the case, I'd be drop dead gorgeous before the night was over. The more still I sat, the better everything went. Miki was pulling the top layer of my hair back into a bun when she began to talk.

"So, who's the lucky guy going to be?" she asked. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth before I could stop myself.

"I really wish everyone would stop asking me that. I don't know who I'm marrying any more than I know whether it'll snow tomorrow," I snapped. Miki was the third person to bring this up and the one that knew most how much I was unhappy about it.

"Geez, I was just wondering," she mumbled between the pins sticking out of her lips. That was a total lie. She never "just wondered" about anything. "You should really try to act more enthusiastic about it though. No one's going to want to marry a bitter woman that wants to fight like a man."

My sister knew how much I wanted to learn waterbending and she also knew how to get under my skin. She didn't understand. I was the only bender in my immediate family. They all seemed to think it was some trivial trick I could perform whenever they needed a cut healed or water fetched. But it was so much more than that. I hated having to keep it to myself.

"You probably should work on your cooking skills too. What man wants sea prune stew for every meal?"

Having babies, lecturing, and fixing hair was what Miki had a talent for instead of waterbending. In an effort to survive the next half hour, I leaned back against my stool and let her continue on some spiel about being a pleasing wife.


	2. tradition

The best thing about banquets was the food, there was no question about that. A large arctic hen, nearly three times the size the ones that we usually ate, sat at the middle of our table. Bowls of sea prunes, snow crab meat, noodles, cuttle-salmon filets, and even seaweed cookies surrounded the main course. My mouth flooded with water, but we had to wait for everyone else to arrive, as well as formalities. Mom and Dad were speaking with some of the other councilmen and their wives, seemingly about our honored guests, who were seated with Chief Arnook at the head of the room. I presumed the Avatar was the one dressed in orange and yellow, with blue arrow tattoos on his head and hands. Shockingly, he was just a kid, probably no older than twelve or thirteen. If Avatar Roku died over a hundred years ago, and this was his successor, then where had he been this whole time? Why hadn't he ended the war yet?

His companions, a girl and boy that favored enough to surely be siblings, were dressed in Water Tribe clothing. I was just starting to wonder about their place in all this when the chief stood and the room fell silent.

"Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe," Arnook gestured to his left. Oh, so they were from the Southern Tribe? "And they have brought with them, someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now...the Avatar! We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age!"

Princess Yue, along with two guards, entered from the hall. She was radiant as ever, her white hair standing out in a room of brunettes. She dressed in purple, the color of royalty. That would be me in a short time, bring presented as a prize for whomever could win the favor of my parents. The thought decreased my appetite, but only just.

"Thank you, Father," she spoke clearly. "May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubling times."

"And now," Chief Arnook continued, "Master Pakku and his students will perform!"

As everyone began filling their plates, Master Pakku and two of his students took the stage in the middle of the room. Three large blobs of water rose and began circling each of them before combining into one large mass. Their movements were in perfect sync and they seamlessly guided the water around each other. It was one of the most amazing displays of waterbending I'd ever seen.

"Kailani, aren't you going to eat anything?" Mom elbowed me from my right. I had forgotten about the delicious meal in front of me until she said something.

"Oh, right," I laughed as my stomach growled. I started grabbing food from the table: some hen, steaming sea prunes, crab, and a hunk of crusty bread. Everything tasted delightful, though one look from Mom reminded me of my etiquette. Rule one of dining with royalty: Don't stuff your face. I took only small bites, even though I could shove the entirety of a hen wing into my mouth. 

It was easier to pace my eating when I distracted myself. I watched the remainder of the waterbending performance, which had now divided into each person showcasing their abilities. I recognized some of them, like variations of the water whip I struggled to learn. It was beautiful to watch, but tended to only make me more depressed, so instead, I focused on the Avatar and his friends.

The boy from the south was in conversation with Princess Yue. Whatever he said was making her laugh and blush slightly, that much was apparent. His sister and Aang were just as entranced by the bending as I was. They were the only attendees around my age, and as the conversation between my family and the council men (Earth Kingdom economics, if you're wondering) drifted my way, I wanted nothing more than to sit with them instead.

"I think I'll congratulate the princess on her birthday," I whispered to my parents. They didn't give any indication of hearing me, so I left. Not everyone can just approach the princess, but through my father's position, I'd been afforded the opportunity several times. The Avatar had disappeared with Chief Arnook and Master Pakku, leaving me a spot to kneel beside them. I bowed and addressed all three.

"Happy birthday, Princess Yue," I turned to the other two. "Welcome to the Northern Water Tribe. My name is Kailani, daughter of councilman Puriq."

"Thank you, Kailani. Your well wishes are greatly appreciated," Yue returned diplomatically. She was no doubt going to have half of the tribe chasing her hand, and not just because of her status.

"I'm Katara, and this is my brother Sokka. I apologize in advance for anything stupid he might say." Us girls giggled, but her brother let out an indignant "hey!" before biting into a cookie. I let out a laugh and touched the fabric Miki had fastened around bunches of my hair. "Please, have a seat. Aang left to speak with Master Pakku about starting training."

I sat beside Katara as Sokka told Yue stories of their travels. I could have stayed there forever.  
_________________________________________________________________________

The worst thing about banquets was the day after. Yue's party lasted late into the night, even after she had left. Everyone had eaten their fill twice over and spent the rest of their time talking about politics and gossip until after moon high. Katara and Sokka had so many stories of their travels from the Southern Water Tribe to the North. Stories about pirates, a fortuneteller, a banished prince, and a Fire Nation admiral kept me glued to my seat for hours. It was only when my mother came to collect me that I realized how late it had gotten.

The next morning, I didn't want to get up. But it was my day to assist Yugoda with the beginning classes, and she liked to start as early as possible, for whatever reason. I bundled up in my warmest parka, said good bye to my mother, and started navigating through the capital's many streets and walkways with a warm cup of tea in my hands. The sun had just risen over the tops of the glaciers and yellow-orange rays of sun light reflected off the icy walls and ground. There was something so beautiful about it that I could hardly look away. Yugoda was waiting for me outside.

"I heard there was some party last night. How was it?" she queried as the younger students began filing in. Each of them walked over to the wall to set down their bags and take a seat around the small pool in the center of the room.

"Oh, just the usual. Food and politics. You didn't miss much," I recounted. That's what royal dinners usually were like. But last night was so much better than gossip and brown-nosing. I had heard the most amazing things from Katara and her friends. It made me want even more to leave the North Pole and travel outside of my village.

Yugoda began the lesson with a review of simple bending movements like streaming and manipulating the water. She lectured and demonstrated while I examined and corrected technique. A few still had some issues with it, while others were beyond proficient. My class might be gaining members soon, I thought while watching as Jun-ki streamed the water and gloved her hands perfectly. The main lesson today was focused on healing intermediate burns, since ironically enough, I had burned my arm while setting the water to boil this morning.

"The first step to healing burns is prompt action," Yugoda began as she pulled up my sleeve. "The sooner you can treat it, the better off you'll be."

That was all I heard before my mind started wandering back to last night. A story that I had loved in particular was about a group of kids and teenagers living in a forest of the Earth Kingdom. According to Sokka and Katara, they were a bunch of orphans with a vendetta against the Fire Nation. Granted, their leader tried to flood a small town to rid it of the soldiers that had infiltrated. But being able to live independently and do whatever you wanted? That sounded like heaven. The Avatar and his friends were so lucky to be living life without ridiculous rules and stupid traditions.

"Kailani!" Yugoda lightly smacked me on the back of the head to get my attention.

"Huh? I mean, yes?" I asked, feeling the world around me rush back in.

"I was just asking if you's help me with the mannequin?" she lifted an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh, right. Sorry," I felt my face grow warm from embarrassment as the girls giggled. Just as we set down the practice dummy, someone entered through the door way. It was Katara, and she didn't look too happy.

"Uh, hi. Are you Yugoda?" Her eyes flickered toward me for a second, and I saw her mood lift only slightly. Typical of Yugoda, she answered with a question of her own.

"Are you her for the healing lesson?"

Once again, Katara let her head fall and her frown deepened.

"I guess I am."

"Well good! Kailani here has just finished helping me with a beginner demonstration. Perhaps she can get you started on the more advanced techniques? I'd hate to bore you with this kid stuff."

We set up in a corner with the spare mannequin that had seen much better days and a bowl of water. The mood in the room was considerably darker than before my friend's arrival, though I wasn't sure why.

"Hey," I murmured. "What are you doing here? And why do you look like someone just stole all of your seal jerky?"

My joke went over like a snowball in a fire.

"Master Pakku refuses to teach me waterbending. I can't believe I traveled all the way from the South Pole just to be turned down," she sighed at the end. I knew exactly how she was feeling. The disappointment was palpable.

"I understand. I would have warned you, but I didn't know you were going to try and learn as well as Aang. I'm sorry," I sheepishly apologized while starting to guide the water through the channels. "Maybe you can learn a little something about healing?"

It turned out that Katara did have some healing experience, but not a lot of knowledge to back up her technique. We talked about chi and chakras, and how to focus energy on injured areas. When we finished, we met up with Yugoda. I was almost as surprised as Katara was to learn that her grandmother had left the Northern Water Tribe because of an arranged marriage. 

It's possible, I thought on the walk home. I could leave, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I posted the first chapter, but here is the second! I received some very kind comments and I really appreciate them, along with all of my readers. Hopefully there wont be as much time between this chapter and the next update. Thanks for reading!


	3. unfair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 3! This one has been written and posted on other fan fiction websites for a while now, though I've just gotten around to posting it here. I'd love to hear more feedback on the pacing and coherency of the story so far. Thank you to everyone that left a comment and/or kudos! I appreciate the support more than my readers could ever imagine! Still on the hunt for a new name for the main character. Something about the name "Kailani" just doesn't roll of the tongue to me, but I couldn't just leave her name blank. And suggestion or recommendations would be considered.

"Focusing on how your own chi moves through your body can help you understand the flow of someone else's chi."

The girls sat around me in a circle of quiet, well _almost quiet_ , meditation. I half expected Katara to attend today's lesson, but she hadn't shown up. If she wasn't training with Aang, and she wasn't attending a healing lesson, then what was she doing? The list of activities in the North Pole that didn't overlap with chores was pretty slim, especially during the winter. Compared to the places the Avatar had been, my home was probably the most boring. My meditation focus slipped as once again, I wondered how the perfume at the abbey smelled and what a warm breeze in the Fire Nation felt like.

 _Come on Kailani,_ I chided myself. _You're supposed to be teaching about meditation and focusing chi. So focus._

Some of the girls were whispering to each other, punctuated by the occasional giggle.

"If any of you want to step foot in the infirmary for healing practicals next week, you all better stay quiet during meditation," I peeked through one eye and scanned the room. Miraculously, they had returned to proper lotus form. It was now so silent, you could hear water dripping from the ceiling.

Of course, until someone shuffled loudly by the door.

"Mara, I swear to La-"

"Kailani!"

Yugoda's urgent voice had all of us leaping up from the floor and whipping around to face her. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath before continuing.

"You've got to come to the palace courtyard. It's Katara. She's challenged Master Pakku."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. What was Katara thinking, challenging a waterbending master when she was a novice herself?

"Class dismissed!" I shouted as I ran out of the building, following Yugoda who, surprisingly, could still jog at a good pace in her old age. My students would most likely be following us, but as of right now, they weren't my responsibility.

Shouting voices, one that I recognized as Katara's, could be heard before either she or Pakku came into sight.

"Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy! So, you decided to show up?" We rounded the corner in time to see Pakku walk past Katara without so much as glancing her way. "Aren't you going to fight?"

"Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong," he smirked. Ugh! He was so infuriating! I wanted to slap him upside the head just as much as Katara, but she beat me to it. A perfect water whip arched through the air and landed a hit on the back of his balding head. He turned around and addressed her properly this time. "Fine. You want to learn to fight so bad? Watch closely!

Pakku started on the offensive, sending two combined streams straight at Katara, who was running at him. Somehow, she managed to land on her feet. But before she could stand, Pakku had already encircled them in water, slowly decreasing the area. I could hardly breathe as the circle got smaller and smaller. Katara needed to act, and fast. In an impressive display, she sent the water away from her, but closer to all of us. I stepped back, my arms out to make sure the girls that had joined us wouldn't get hit. Luckily, Sokka received the brunt of the impact.

I looked back in time to see Katara sailing over Pakku's head and landing on a pillar. Once again, he sent a large stream with the intention to knock her over. She anchored her feet in the ice and split the water in two, effectively deflecting.

"You can't knock me down!"

"Woo!" I heard myself shout before realizing that might not be a good idea, considering Chief Arnook was only feet away and could hear me. But I wasn't the only one showing my support. The girls were yelling as well, along with Aang. Katara might not be winning, but she was definitely holding her own. One of the sharp ice discs nearly took off his nose. Even Pakku knew he was facing a formidable opponent, if his face was any indication.

The back and forth continued, with Katara landing hits here and there. Unfortunately, it ended with her trapped in a prison of ice shards.

"This fight is over," Pakku declared, though Katara was still struggling to continue. I turned to my students, and told them they had better get home before their parents saw them spectating a fight. Katara may have lost, but I could hardly believe how well she had done. She could almost have her own students.

 _She could teach me._ The thought hit me like an avalanche. _Katara could teach me waterbending!_ _If, of course, I didn't live here._

 _But you could travel with them,_ I reasoned with myself. _You escape an arranged marriage while getting to learn how to fight and seeing the world. What could possibly go wrong?_  
 _________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next two weeks, I was the perfect daughter. Helping to cook every meal, offering to babysit my niece so Miki could have a break, and not even daring to practice waterbending. My sister had a point the other night: if I wanted to attract a suitor, I needed to get my attitude in check. I think I was doing a pretty good job of it too.

Until the news started to spread. Apparently, Master Pakku had began training Avatar Aang as well as Katara, on account of her relation to an old friend of his. I was beside myself for an entire healing lesson, biting the heads off of a couple students that weren't focusing like I thought they should.

 _It's fine,_ I reminded myself afterwards. _Just keep this up a little longer and it'll pay off._

My plan, which I made up on a daily basis, was slowly reaching a stand still. Now that they were both training, Aang and Katara were pretty difficult to get a conversation with. Unless, of course, they were invited to a party. My party. My _engagement_ party. I could make it that far in the process. Then, once I could talk to one of them alone, I'd ask the question that the rest of my destiny depended on.

_Can I join your group to travel the world and learn waterbending?_

_______________________________________________________________________________

The fabric of my dress was exceptionally itchy compared to any of the other dresses I'd ever worn. Ever. Though I supposed that had more to do with my state of mind and the fact that I would have rather thrown myself from the top of the royal palace than attend my third meeting with Toahk. Toahk was the number one suitor Assuming that things continued, our engagement would be announced on the night of my birthday. Hopefully by then, I would have a more solid plan in mind for how I could avoid the actual marriage.

Mom and Dad seem pleased and thoroughly convinced that I had come around to the idea of getting married and living that rest of my life as an obedient housewife and healer. Mikki, however, was still skeptical about my true intentions.

"You seem to have had a complete change of heart," she mentioned one night when we had all gotten together for dinner. I was rolling a ball on the ground with Rivka.

"I just thought it was time to grow up," I replied simply. Miki liked to fish for reactions and information. She wouldn't be catching this sucker anytime soon.

"Hm, that's rather mature of you. Did you hear about that girl from our sister tribe? Master Pakku has decided to train her along with the Avatar. What do you make of that?"

She was good, I'll give her that. But I was just as determined.

"Master Pakku has every right to teach whomever he chooses. I've heard things as well, such as how she's progressing. Better than some of his advanced students, if I recall correctly."

The conversation turned to other things, like the war and the how well the fishermen were faring lately. Truthfully, I did feel jealous of Katara getting to train. But at least someone was learning how to properly waterbend. And if my plan worked, then she would be an even better teacher to study with. Mikki wouldn't be convinced until the day of my wedding, I'm sure. But hopefully, I didn't have to pretend for long.

"Kailani, how nice it is to see you again. I presume you've been well since I saw you last?"

Toahk's mother smiled gently from across the table, her eyes reflecting the moonlight streaming from the open ceiling. I tried to compose myself and act as if I hadn't been spacing out for the past thirty minutes.

"Yes, thank you Lady Rowa. And yourself?"

Polite conversation wasn't my most refined talent, but I could manage. It mostly consisted of useless pleasantries. _Why yes, I did hear about your cousin's engagement. Pass on my congratulations, would you?_

The food distracted me from most of the night, though it wasn't nearly as tasty as the food at Yue's birthday dinner. Our fathers spoke of politics and war details, something far more interesting than day to day life at the moment. Toahk listened with rapt attention, interjecting every once and a while. My mother fed me topics we practiced the night before, like how pleased we were to have the Avatar stay for such a long time. How hopeful we were that the war should end soon, as to not spoil our engagement. I just hoped everything sounded the way it did in my head: polite and ladylike.

After dinner, while sipping tea and delving into more gossip, Toahk stood and asked to excuse us both for a walk. My father nodded happily, as his own clapped him on the back heartily.

"Miss Kailani?" his proffered hand hung between us, waiting for me to take it. And so I did.

It wasn't quite a full moon, but close. I could feel an excess of energy tingle in my hands, my chest. We walked slowly along the empty streets. Most people were settled into there homes with their families, probably chatting about their days. Here I was, walking with who would most likely be my fiance. I couldn't fake a smile right now. Not after all the energy I'd spent towards keeping up a good facade the last few weeks.

"The moonlight is beautiful, don't you think?" It was so quiet among the snow and ice, I nearly jumped.

"Oh, yes, very beautiful," I agreed. We stopped in the middle of a bridge spanning the canal. All the gondolas were docked for the night.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Do you actually want to marry me?"

It got even quieter, if that were possible. So quiet, I bet you could hear snowflakes hit the ground. Wind chilled my cheeks as I tried to form a response quickly. How was I supposed to make this sound the least bit convincing?

"It's okay, you know. I kind of figured," Toahk shrugged, turning out to face the city wall. "After you attacked me and all."

I'm sorry, what?

"Pardon?" I whispered. What on earth was he talking about? I hadn't attacked anyone since...

"You don't remember? I had to go to the healing hut for days to get my nose fixed. Got quite the right hook, if you don't mind me saying."

 _Oh,_ I thought slowly. _Now I remember._

"You were one of those boys that teased me. A few years ago. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I was grounded for like a month. Possibly longer," I tried not to recall all of the details of that day, or the period following it.

"I should be apologizing. We shouldn't have been making fun of you so much. You just wanted to learn how to waterbend. What I wouldn't give to be able to do that."

Oh right, Toahk wasn't a bender.

"Yeah, you and me both," I sighed leaning against the railing. We stood like that for a while, just listening to the far sound of waves beating against the ice walls bordering our home. He knew I didn't really want to marry him. I guess it doesn't matter how good of a daughter you are. You can't fake love.

"So what's your plan?"

Once again, I was caught off guard by his question.

"What do you mean?" I bluffed. That only earned me a laugh and an eye roll.

"Oh come _on, Kailani,"_ he shot me some side eye and began to explain. "There's no way the girl that broke my nose for teasing her is going to give up without a fight. Are you really going to marry me?"

Perhaps he was fishing for information like Miki did earlier. Or maybe he genuinely had known from the very beginning that I had no intention of seeing this engagement to the end. Either way, it didn't really matter. He already knew my feelings weren't true. Might as well humor him.

"You're right," I sighed. "I don't want to marry you. No offense. I don't want to marry anybody right now. I still want to train to fight, even though no one will teach me." Katara and Master Pakku popped into my mind again, making me even more bitter.

"So where do I fit into all of this?"

"Well, you see, I had this idea," just thinking of it made me start to laugh. "I know it sounds crazy, but I thought if I could play along with this engagement long enough, I could ask the Avatar if he would let me travel with them. And maybe learn waterbending on the way. Stupid, I know."

Once again, silence stretched between us until I started to worry about the safety of confiding in Toahk. He was in this for selfish reasons too. If he knew I might renege in the long run, he could drop out of the courtship process entirely. And then I'd be back at square one.

Just as I was about to take it all back, say I was merely joking and that _of course_ I wanted to marry him, he spoke.

"Okay then, I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"Propose to you."

Before I could half register what he said, Toahk reached into an inner pocket of his parka and produced a necklace bearing a carved pendant. In the moonlight, it glowed blue-white. I could tell he had spent a lot of time on it, the way the etched lines smoothly cut through the material. I couldn't help but feel sad that it had been created for someone who didn't want it.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked breathlessly as Toahk stepped behind me to fasten the necklace. It made no sense. He should be saving this moment for someone else entirely.

"You want so badly to learn to fight, to defend your people and stop the war. I think you deserve that chance. No one should be denied that choice."

I'd thought for the longest time that no one else felt that way but me. And yet, here Toahk stood, agreeing to help me with my half thought out plan. My fingers twitched with nervous energy, multiplied by the night. 

"Thank you," I smiled. This time, I really meant it.

"Don't thank me until after we get you traveling with the Avatar. Speaking of which, how exactly are you going to make that happen?"

That was the one flaw I hadn't figured out. How was I supposed to get close enough to any of them again to ask? My family wouldn't dare allow me anywhere near the training grounds. And Sokka was no where to be found most days.

"I don't know," I sighed, feeling my adrenaline start to ebb. Perhaps this would all be in vain.

"Then leave that to me. I'll think of something."

And with that, we headed back to the dining hall, hand in hand.


End file.
